The four-part Troll Hunters series, which began with Skyfall (2012), is collected here in finished form. All is well in Zion Falls until the night of the Draconid meteor shower. Monstrous creatures arrive to swipe humans before our four teen heroes blo, Zak, Thora, and Louise nd themselves in league with a wild-haired man named Dr. Hoo. Yes, these are trolls gathool, if you want to get technical d they are out to enslave humanity. To find their missing families, the young friends head out to stop this insurmountable foe, armed with an array of magical powers they never knew they had. As it turns out, they are "the children of the stars" as predicted by the ancients. Pablo O'Ryan is actually Orion (get it?), and so forth. Dahl fills this noisy middle-grade actioner with plenty of fun, if not always logical, ideas, roping in everything from Lovecraftian mythos to an explanation for the infamous word Croatoan. Kovar's plentiful, dramatic illustrations are absolutely key in lending spectacle to action scenes that are otherwise a bit confusing.

This volume comprises books one through four of the Troll Hunters series about a group of teen mystical warriors fighting to rid the world of monster invaders. Dahl borrows heavily from mythology, astrology, and master of horror, H. P. Lovecraft; the stories are more genre mash-ups than cohesive narratives.

Beneath the vast volcanic lakes / Beneath the fiery core, / An ancient, ageless Evil wakes / And starts to rise once more." This poem sets the tone for a horror tale that offers middle-graders a fast, compelling read. On the night of the Draconid meteor shower, trolls hungry for human flesh invade the rural town of Zion Falls. Four youngsters--Louise, Pablo, Zak and Thora--are saved by a three-armed man, Dr. Hoo, who predicts that they have magical powers that will save the world. The story mixes trolls from the Norse tradition with constellations from Greco-Roman mythology. Atmosphere builds with changing landscapes: Peaceful countryside morphs to menacing, while the trolls' underground home is a terrifying inferno. The four kids chosen as heroes have distinct characters and magical powers; other people merely serve the plot. The climax provides surprises and a bittersweet ending. Black-and-white illustrations add to the horror and mood of the story. Compulsive plot, non-stop action and the battle between modern-day good and ancient evil attract boys and girls alike, and the fast-moving narrative, lots of suspense and cumulating violence will keep them reading. A page-turner. (Horror. 10-13)

Gr 5-7 In the small town of Zion Falls, on the night of the spectacular Draconids meteor shower, four children are chosen to defend their homes and families from the coming of the gathool, a race of evil subterranean trolls. The children discover that they each have a secret power, and they are helped by mysterious Doctor Hoo, but will they be strong enough to save the world from death and destruction&30; or worse? Troll Hunters starts out promisingly, with strong Lovecraftian overtones, but it never really accelerates beyond that and stays basically on one level throughout. The premise is pretty basic: a group of people assemble to fight a heretofore unknown but deadly menace, and a sense of dread appropriately permeates the story. However, some of the characters are more fleshed out than others, even though they all have a moment in which they shine (sometimes literally). The book is divided into four chapters representing four consecutive nights, but the action is constant and readers never get a sense that much time has passed at all. Troll Hunters is pretty heavy throughout and at times inconsistent but it reads quickly and there is enough action for reluctant readers. Erik Knapp, Davis Library, Plano, TX